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All New Toyota Vios Launched In Malaysia

The Toyota Vios has been around in Malaysia for some time already and is Malaysia's best-selling model in the non-national segment. Hard to believe the Toyota Vios is only in it's third generation, which was launched last week in Malaysia. I had the opportunity to attend the media launch and experience first hand the looks and features of the all new Toyota Vios.

All New Toyota Vios Launched In Malaysia

Even before the launch, the all-new Toyota Vios has already been unveiled in our neighboring country, and my, it was a very different vehicle from the previous generation Vios. Developed with the concept of 'Value Beyond Belief', the new third generation continues with the same attributes that made its predecessors so popular among Malaysians.

The new Vios 1.5 TRD Sportivo variant unveiled at the launch

Being this popular in Malaysia, it has to mean something, and I was rather intrigued with the new Toyota Vios's fierce looking exterior design. Gone were the rounded edges, replaced with a sculptured 3-dimensional design with stronger lines. A good thing to note too, was that the body size is now 110mm longer than the previous gen, and the roofline 15mm higher.

Toyota's "Keen Look" expression adopted for the front design

Something new found on the all-new Toyota Vios which I did not initially noticed until being educated was the more aerodynamic door mirrors, with small aero stabilizing fins attached to certain areas to create air vortices which spiral along the vehicle sides. Check out the "fins" in the pictures below.

Notice the small "fin"like structure in front of the side mirror?

Rear Bumper and New Combination Lamp Design

Now I do like to take note of all these small details and changes which makes the new Toyota Vios unique and different from the other makes on the street. One thing's for sure, the rear combination lamp design is sure to grab your attention the moment you lay eyes on it. The rear bumper corners rise towards the lamp, emphasizing the wide feel of the whole rear body and providing a more solid look. It did remind me a bit of the Toyota Camry's design.

All new Vios with a projector-type headlamp

Facing the new Toyota Vios, I had to admit I like the new front design. This time around, it was a good idea to fit the all new Vios with a projector-type headlamp (1.5 TRD Sportivo and 1.5G variant). Another fitting idea of 'projecting forward' helps explain the new distinctive trapezoidal front grille of the car.

Toyota Vios 1.5 TRD Sportivo rim design

In line with the current trend, all variants of Toyota Vios now comes standard with 15 inch lightweight alloy rims. I much preferred the Toyota Vios 1.5 TRD Sportivo rim design, but that would be the highest spec design I guess.

Interior dashboard design of the all new Vios

With the redesigned dashboard, the combination meter of the new Toyota Vios no longer sits in the middle, taking a more conventional spot just above the steering wheel. I much prefer this location so we do not need to take our eyes too far off the above the steering when driving.

The door panel with molded stitching

All New Toyota Vios' three spoke steering wheel

The trim surrounding the new Toyota Vios' interior has a more luxurious feel to it, albeit still a tad too hard for my liking. They now come with a stitched design (made possible using Japanese molding precision technology) for the instrument panel, door trim and steering wheel.

I do like this instrument panel

The sporty layout of the instrument panel sees the speedometer being the largest and placed in the middle. Within the speedometer for 1.5 TRD Sportivo and 1.5G is a Multi Information Display (MID) which displays cruising range, average fuel consumption, instantaneous fuel consumption, and average driving speed.

Boot space had increased

Gone were the days of tiny boot space, with the majority of higher segment cars sporting boot space enough to fit multiple golf bags. In this department, the all new Vios gives a generous 506 litres of boot space, 80 litres more than the previous generations. This huge space allows up to 4 golf bags to be fitted inside. The bootlid now opens to a vertical position, for ease of loading. For someone like me, who needs to carry Baby Martin's baby stroller each time I leave the house, this is indeed a welcome sight.

Pop open the lid and this is what greets you

Truth to be told, I was a tad disappointed when being told the engine remained the same, but hey, the familiar 1NZ-FE 1.5 litre 4 cylinder DOHC 16 valve engine is one reliable workhorse. Featuring VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence) technology, it enhances performance while being really fuel efficient.

We leave you with a nice view of the all new Toyota Vios

As with all locally-assembled models offered by UMW Toyota Motor, the all-new Toyota Vios comes with a 3 year/100000 kms (whichever comes first) warranty, subject to conditions stated in the Owner's Handbook. The best-selling 1.5J variant has no price increase while there was a minimal adjustment for the other variants (Vios 1.5 TRD Sportivo, 1.5G and 1.5E). The on-the-road price for the new Vios with insurance starts at RM73,000 and goes up to RM93,200 for the top of the range model.